Here's How Many More Babies Would Survive If Breastfeeding Were More Widespread

Huffington Post - One of the most effective ways to curb infant mortality rates worldwide is by scaling up the number of mothers who breastfeed, research out of the U.K. concluded. The Lancet, a U.K. medical journal, published an exhaustive series on breastfeeding trends worldwide and found that elevating the practice to near universal levels could prevent 823,000 deaths in children younger than 5 years every year.  The authors noted that this isn't a concern limited to low-income countries. The duration of breastfeeding is actually higher in poorer countries and the benefits span the socioeconomic divide.   According to the report, breastfeeding was found to reduce instances of sudden infant death syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis, a disorder with a high mortality rate that most often occurs in sick or premature babies. Breastfed babies were found to have higher intelligence than those who were breastfed for shorter periods or not at all. It guards against diarrheal diseases and respiratory